What does Napoleon have to do with Cognac anyway?

WHAT DOES NAPOLEON HAVE TO DO WITH COGNAC ANYWAY?

 

Some Cognacs are called “Napoleon” as an indication of the age of the Cognac, but history is murky about Napoleon’s involvement with Cognac, if any. The story goes like this….

 

Cognac was Napoleon’s favorite beverage. Years ago, Cognac was a white, or clear, spirit. It was harsh and difficult to drink, yet Napoleon loved it. As he was leaving to conquer Russia, he realized that he could not carry with him his entire store of Cognac. He left the extra with trusted friends, admonishing them strictly not to disturb the barrels he was leaving in their cellars for any reason.

 

When he returned six and a half years later to reclaim his barrels of Cognac, Napoleon found them as he had left them, undisturbed and safe. Yet the Cognac within was radically different from the cognac he had left there those many years ago.

 

Over the intervening six and a half years, the Cognac had aged in the barrels, as we know today that it will. Napoleon’s Cognac had taken on the characteristics of the barrels. It had mellowed, and yet grown flavorful and more powerful, acquiring some of the color and flavor of the wood. Napoleon proclaimed it to be the finest beverage in all the world.

 

Well…. That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it

 

SOME INFO ABOUT NAPOLEON

 

Napoleon Bonaparte, (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) later known as Napoleon I, was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the Europe's history! He was a general during the French Revolution,the ruler of France as First Consul of the French Republic and Emperor of the First French Empire!

 

He was born in Corsica and trained as an artillery officer in mainland France. In 1799, Napoleon installed himself as First Consul; five years later he crowned himself Emperor of the French. In the first decade of the nineteenth century, he turned the armies of France against every major European power and dominated continental Europe through a series of military victories.

 

Napoleon scored major victories with a modernised French army and drew his tactics from different sources. His campaigns are studied at military academies the world over and he is widely regarded as one of history's greatest commanders. The Napoleonic code was adopted throughout much of Europe and remained in force after Napoleon's defeat. Napoleon said: "My true glory is not to have won 40 battles...Waterloo will erase the memory of so many victories. ... But...what will live forever, is my Civil Code.

 

In February 1821, his health began to fail rapidly and on May 5th he died.